


Second Dance

by CYCLOPSCORE



Series: Amidst the Fragrant Flowers [5]
Category: Violet Evergarden (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ballroom Dancing, Dress Up, F/F, Fluff, Shopping, Yuri, minor canon compliance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:14:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25801939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CYCLOPSCORE/pseuds/CYCLOPSCORE
Summary: Luculia requests for Violet and Amy to wear the same dresses they wore at the ball three years ago. Both Hilarity and Romance ensues.A short sub-chapter for Amidst the Fragrant Flowers. Takes place inbetween Dancing Swallow and The Answer of True Love (see Garden of Rebirth).Again, compliant to the first film, but not the upcoming second.
Relationships: Amy Bartlett | Isabella York/Luculia Marlborough/Violet Evergarden
Series: Amidst the Fragrant Flowers [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1820110
Comments: 1
Kudos: 14





	1. Reminiscing of the Past

“I think I still kept it here, somewhere…”, Violet muttered, as she tried to search deep into her closet, trying to find a dress far whiter than the others. “Take your time.”, Amy responded with a laugh, while holding a white dress of her own, neatly folded and contained in clear plastic.

Luculia had requested to see their dresses once again, the ones they wore in that fateful ball. It was clear, though, that Violet had never took out her dress for a long while. She had been searching inside for five minutes, from the ones on the clotheslines, to the boxes. This was unlike Amy, who had found her dress very quickly, always keeping it close to her.

Just then, Luculia came up the stairs, carrying a jug of lemon tea. Placing the jug on a nearby table, she saw the white dress clutched on Amy’s bands. “Ah, Amy, looks like you found your dress. Can Violet find hers?”. “No.”, Amy responded. “She is still trying to look for it.”

“I see.”, Luculia lamented. She took out a photo that was taken a few years back, of Violet in the white dress. It would have been so nice to see Violet wear the dress in person. She turned to Amy’s dress once more. “Can I take a closer look at yours, Amy?”. “Sure.”, Amy responded, passing Luculia the white dress with her two hands. Luculia slowly and softly grasped it, not wanting to be too rough. Removing the plastic, she then let the folded dress unravel itself, revealing its beauty and brilliance. It had no sleeves, with only one sling to the shoulder. Accompanying it were a pair of white gloves.

“Beautiful.”, Luculia commented. What she is seeing was really a dress fitting for a noble. “Thanks.”, Amy responded, happy at the comment. “Though, it has been three to four years now, since I wore that? I wonder if I can still fit in that.”

At the same moment, Violet came out of the closet room, carrying a white dress in her mechanical hands. “Amy, Luculia, I found it.”, Violet said with a smile, clearly excited to finally be able to find the dress she wore at the ball. With that, she unfolded the dress, letting Luculia and Amy take a look. Compared to Amy’s, her dress was more humble and even masculine, looking more fit for a prince. Instead of being one-piece, it consisted of a jacket and the dress, and the bottom part of the dress looked more like pants than a skirt. The gloves were much shorter, in comparison to Amy’s opera-length gloves. Nonetheless, it had its own charm.

“Good as new.”, the two mused with surprise. Just like Amy's own dress, the drudges of time had not tarnished Violet's dress one bit. With this response, Violet then turned to Luculia. “So, Luculia, I understand you wanting to see Amy’s dress, but I was wondering why you wanted to look at mine. You already took a photo of me wearing it some time ago.”

Luculia made a small hum, thinking of how to properly convey her answer. “Exactly. I want you to wear it again. I hope it still fits.”. Pausing for a moment, Luculia then turned to Amy. “The same goes for you, Amy. I hope your dress still fits for you too.”, Luculia continued. “It is not like we don’t want to wear it… but Luculia, just why do you want us to wear the dresses?”, Amy asked in confusion, unsure of Luculia’s intention. “Is it for some modelling photos? Or just for fun?"

Luculia paused, as she poured a glass of lemon tea from the jug. “Yeah, a bit of both. I was especially hoping that both of your dresses still fit you two, then I can have one more photo for my collection. One photo of a married couple, coming up. Maybe multiple, for a few different poses. You know you two want to do it too.”

Both Violet and Amy froze and blushed in surprise at the last few words spoken by Luculia. Yes, it was true, they really wanted to do this as well, to reflect the best night the two shared. “I, no, we cannot deny that.”, Violet admitted. “However, there is no guarantee we still fit in our dresses.”, she further warned, with a tremor in her voice. It was a warning not just for Luculia, but for themselves, for they too would be disappointed. “Hmmm…”, Luculia pondered. That could indeed be a problem. 

“Violet, I am sure your boss, Mr Hodgins has the address to the place that made that dress. They can either upsize or sell a dress of similar design.”, Luculia suggested, giving solutions to this small issue should it arise. She turned to Amy again. "But Amy, since your dress is not from Leiden… that will be a problem… no matter, just try it on, and we can talk about this later.”

Luculia had a point, the two reasoned. There was not much point thinking about the problem of it fitting if they did not even try it on in the first place. With that, Amy took back her dress from Luculia, and the two went to the bedroom to change.

Before they closed and locked the door, Amy then paused, and asked Luculia one more question, one which shook her a little. “Hey, Luculia, now that I think about it, do you have a ceremonial dress of your own?”

Luculia immediately froze in shock. The answer was a clear “no”, ringing inside her head. She was too poor for such clothing, or any expensive items in general. And yet, she was unable to say it out, her mouth stuck in place, paralysed as if it was stung by a spider. “Luculia?”, Amy asked in worry, seeing Luculia unresponsive to her question, just looking away, not turning or even moving a muscle.

“I... I think I do.”, Luculia said, a white lie coming out of her mouth. “O-oh.”, Amy responded, still having some doubts, as if she had seen Luculia’s lie. Nonetheless, she slowly closed the door. But the question still lingered for Luculia. Amy did not mean any harm, but for Luculia, it was a reflection of her... less than desirable class.

“Alas, me. I just can’t afford anything...”, Luculia sighed, while taking another sip of tea. Ever since she took her job as a journalist, her income had improved, and she could support herself and Spencer. But that was it. No room to buy luxuries like these. In the terms of socio-economic status, as she learnt in economics class, Violet and Amy were in another place compared to her.

“I can’t take it off I can’t take it off I can’t take it off!!!”, Amy screamed from the bedroom, bringing Luculia out of her moping. “Amy, what’s wrong?”, Luculia asked. She rushed to the door and tried to open the door, but it was locked. 

“A-Amy, stand still!”, Violet said from the room, clearly in distress in contrast to her usual monotone nature. Now, something really was wrong. “Violet, open the door!”, Luculia cried, unsure on what was happening at the other side.

“Wait, Luculia, don’t force your way in!”, Violet shouted, before a sound of a key being slotted into the doorknob was heard. As soon as the door opened, Luculia rushed in. “Violet, what happened?”, Luculia asked, in clear worry. That was when she was able to catch a glimpse, of the mess made in the bedroom.

Both Violet and Amy were only wearing their undergarments, and their white dresses were strewn across the floor. Amy’s was even torn in a few places. Amy was crouching in one corner, trying to hide her nearly naked form with a towel.

“W-what happened in here?”, Luculia asked, shocked by this sight. It looked as if a fight had broke out. Violet looked down, panting heavily, as if shocked herself. “Neither of our dresses fit at all. We have both grown by a lot. I already felt that mine was too tight, so I just took it off without trying to fit in it further. But for Amy... she initially wore it just fine, but... she was struggling to breathe, and yet when she tried to take it off, she couldn’t.”

Violet took a deep breath. “I had to rip the dress off. It was that tight. There was no other way.” Oh no, Luculia thought. She had guessed something like this would have happened. At that moment, Amy started lightly sobbing, soft and pitiful cries. Violet stepped closer to her. “I am so, so sorry.”, Violet apologised to the sobbing girl, who refused to face the two, and sat in the corner. “I don’t blame you, Violet...”, Amy choked out between her sobs. “But I just wanted to wear it again...”. 

Meanwhile, Luculia then looked at the dress strewn on the floor. She then thought of Amy’s words, and knew what must be done. They would have to buy new dresses, wouldn’t they?


	2. Planning

“So, here are the brochures I have found.”, Luculia told Amy, putting down many leaflets on the table. “I searched as many shops as I could.”

It was a day since what had happened. Now that Violet and Amy were in need for a new ceremonial dress, Luculia spent a few hours searching as many dress stalls as she could. With the recent invention of brochures, only one person needed to go to the stalls, take a brochure, and give it to their friends to see. It made it much more convenient for everyone.

Amy, taking a seat on one of the chairs, picked up the leaflets, one by one. Removing her glasses, she took a careful look at the designs presented before her eyes. She frowned a little. Each had their own charm in the design, but none seemed to have the same feel as the dress she used to wear. Amy checked one brochure after another, only to come to the same conclusion. “You don’t like any of the designs?”, Luculia asked in worry.

“Not that any of them are bad. Just... not alike. None look like the dress I wore...”, Amy responded with a sigh. She was anticipating a design that just had to look alike to her own dress, just by a little. And yet, everything looked so different. “This is not like a uniform. Dresses like these will never be alike to one another. All of them are unique in their own right.”, Luculia calmly explained, clearing Amy’s misunderstanding. “That is also what makes them so expensive. It is almost impossible for them to be mass-produced.”

“So that dress is one-of-a-kind?”, Amy concluded. She took the words out of Luculia’s mouth. “Yes.”, Luculia responded. “You just have to find another design. My apologies.”. If that was the case, Amy thought... then there was no more point in arguing or complaining. She should just make do with the choices before her. She was humble enough. Besides, she should adapt to new designs. Perhaps Violet could make do with a new look as well.

Carefully scanning the brochures once more with a change in perspective, Amy opened her eyes to the true beauty of each of the dresses, letting go of her bias. She pictured herself wearing each of them, and pondered over which one gave her the most satisfaction. It was then that she stumbled on one that really caught her eye.

A white and silver dress, with designs of leaves and flowers imprinted on it. It was accompanied with gloves and a veil, giving it a rather mystic feel to it. Picturing herself wearing the dress, Amy found herself appearing so stunning, even more than the previous dress. Beyond a doubt, this was the right pick. Taking a pen, she circled the dress on the brochure. 

“So, you finally made a choice, it seems?”, Luculia mused, picking up the brochure and seeing the choice that Amy had just made. It was quite different in appearance and design compared to Amy’s old dress, but nonetheless looked nice on her. “Suits you as well.”

Just then, there came a knock from the door. It was not hard to guess who was at the other side. “Ah, Violet, you’re back! Come in.”. As Amy finished, Violet walked in. She had also opted to search across town for dress shops, sparing Luculia some trouble. “Did you find a dress that you like?”, Amy then asked.

“Yes.”, Violet calmly responded, before pulling out a poster. On it was a design of a white dress, and near the ends of the skirt was an intricate art piece of flowers, leaves and birds. Unlike Amy’s dress, however, the art was all coloured. Around the ends of the dress were streaks of blue. Behind the back was a giant, translucent ribbon.

“Surprisingly artistic... that is unusual of you, Violet.”, Amy muttered. Normally, Violet would prefer plain clothes, without any desire for intricate designs. Not that she was complaining. In fact, it seemed to look good on Violet, as Amy imagined.

“I started to grow fond of aesthetics. Not to be too extravagant... I just hate being plain all the time.”, Violet responded, before turning to the leaflets on the table. “Have you made your choice on your new dress, Amy?”

“Indeed.”, Amy responded with delight, pointing to the dress she had circled. “This is the one I have chosen. Do you think it suits me? Luculia thinks it does.”

Violet picked up the brochure, taking a good look at the dress, only to silently push it away. “You... don’t like it?”, Amy asked in confusion. Violet turned to her. “Nothing like that, my dear Amy. It is just that I cannot tell you what suits you. No one can tell you that. Not your family, not Luculia, not me. What suits you, has to be your own judgement.”

Of course. The truly free make their own judgements. Amy looked at the dress once again. “Yes, it suits me, and I will not regret it.”. Violet made a nod of approval. “Then that is all that matters.”

Now that was covered, so the two moved on to the price, looking at the costs of the dresses. More or less a thousand each... affordable, given who each of them are. Lastly, the sizes. Reading the waist, chest and length, it was all fine, and more or less matched their own numbers. They then took a look at the stall names and address. Close to each other, in the same shopping district. Perfect. They looked at each other, and gave a wink.

“We should head to that area now.”, Amy suggested, as she walked to the safe to take out sufficient cash. “It would be inconvenient to try to buy it in the weekdays.”

Violet and Luculia nodded, agreeing silently. They have no time for such things in the weekdays, for they would need to finish their letters and documents. With that, the three prepared to go out once more. However, Amy then realised, there was just one more thing to be done...

She turned to Luculia, who was fumbling to zip up her bag. They then looked down to the strewn brochures on the table. She picked it up, skimming through the dresses, trying to find the perfect one that she wanted to find. And then she saw it. From the design to the numbers. It was indeed perfect, and just what she wanted.

"Violet, take a look.”, Amy whispered while clutching to the leaflet, and Violet complied, going closer to her. "What is it?"

"Violet, I think Luculia..."

Luculia turned to them, briefly hearing her name, and saw the two chatting about something, but whatever it was, it was only audible in whispers to her. “Is there something up?”, Luculia asked in confusion, unsure on why they had to speak like that, like they were strangers.

“Nothing.”, the two responded. There was no more time to lose. Now was the time to get to the district, before the sun sets.


	3. Shopping Time

It did not take too long to find the shops, with Violet and Luculia’s sharp memory spans. They still perfectly remembered all of the directions they had to take, all of the streets, to reach the road where the shops were. “Alright, Amy, there it is. The two shops are close to each other.”, Luculia said to her, spotting the shops in the distance.

“So, do we go separately, or do we go to the shops one by one?”, Amy asked. “One by one.”, Violet immediately responded. “We can both see you wear the dress. And you and Luculia can see me wear my dress.”

Sounds good, and made sense, Amy reasoned. With that, the three went to the first shop closer to them. Immediately, as they stepped up to the entrance, they saw that one of the dresses, Violet’s dress, was held up on display. It was even more ravishing that it appeared on the brochure, where it was just drawn.

“Indeed, this is a masterpiece.”, Amy commented. Violet had made a perfect choice. “You would be ravishing wearing it, if you were not already so beautiful.”

“I hope that the same will be for you, Amy.”, Violet politely responded. Without any further delay, they entered the shop, where other dresses were also placed on models, to be displayed for everyone to awe at.

“How can I help you?”, the attendant aaked, noticing the three new customers in the shop, spotting some time and opportunity for business. Violet cleared her throat, ready to make her request.

“Yes, I would like that dress...” 

...

After taking some measurements and confirming that the dress would fit, Violet took the dress and headed into the fitting room. Luculia and Amy patiently waited outside, finding it uncourteous of them to be in the cubicle as well, seeing Violet get dressed.

Both of them twiddled their thumbs, hoping that their imaginations were not playing tricks on them, hoping that Violet would truly look stunning on the dress as they imagined it. They saw the clock neatly hung on the wall, ticking away. Violet had been in the dressing room for five minutes. It really made the two nervous now.

“Violet... how much more time do you need?”, Amy asked, unable to hold her internal irritation. “I am just putting on the finishing touches.”, Violet calmly responded from the door. “Just the last button, and... done.”

Just as Violet said that, the door creaked open, while Amy and Luculia walked away, keeping a respectable distance from the door. When the door fully opened, Luculia and Amy were presented with a pleasant sight. Clearly, their imaginations have not been betrayed.

Unlike the previous dress, this dress gave Violet a more feminine charm, making her look more like a princess rather a prince. It just made her all the more attractive.

Ah, it must also be mentioned, how the flowers sewn to the ends of the dress complement this priceless vessel. And oh, how the blue stripes reflected the same dazzling brilliance as the angel’s eyes. Concludingly, it fit her more than the other dress, from head to toe. “So, what do you think?”, Violet nervously asked.

“You said yourself that one must judge by their own hearts and by no one else.”, Amy responded, slightly disappointed at Violet’s accidental hypocrisy. “But if you want my honest opinion, you look so perfect.”

“Yeah, she looks so perfect.”, Luculia backed up for Amy. Violet made a smile, seeing that the two found the dress to be pretty. She looked at herself, and the dress she was wearing. Yes, she looked alright. There was no need to be nervous, Violet assured herself.

“Then, I should change back and pay for this.”, Violet spoke, as she headed back to the fitting room. “Go ahead first. I will find you in the other shop when I am done. I have the money to pay for this on my own.”

If they waited for Violet to undress and pay for the dress, it would be a waste of time, Luculia reasoned. Besides, Amy would need to take time to wear her new dress too. “Let’s get your dress.”, Luculia said, in agreement to Violet’s suggestion, while tugging Amy’s hand.

Little did she not realise, that as she did, Amy gave a quick glance to Violet, right before she closed the door, and did a small wink. And Violet winked back.

...

It only took a few blocks to reach the second shop. Having found Amy’s desired dress in that shop, it was her turn to be in the dressing room to try her own dress. It did not take too long, and when Amy stepped out, Luculia’s imaginations were again, not disappointed at all.

“Looks perfect.”, Luculia complimented, looking at the silvery glow at the ends of the dress. “That’s good to hear.”, Amy responded, while doing a twirl. Now, Luculia thought, they just had to wait for Violet to see this. Though, given what she said earlier in the day, she would not be one to judge.

It was just as Luculia thought this, that footsteps could be heard behind them. As the two turned, there Violet was, carrying a paper bag, where the dress rested in. “So, Amy? Do you think it suits you?”, she asked with concern.

“Yes.”, was all Amy said. It had fit her and suited her perfectly. Violet made a nod and a small smile, elated with this response. With that, Amy went back inside the fitting room to get out of the dress, and in a short while, came out and swiftly had the dress bought. By the time they stepped out of the shop, the sun was already setting.

“It won’t be long before a crowd comes.”, Violet mused. “I think we should just have dinner around here.”

As Violet said this, both Luculia and Amy felt their torso give a small growl. “Agreed.”, the two replied in quick unison.

And thus, evening and dinner came, bringing an end to this busy day.


	4. Surprise

“That was a fine meal.”, Luculia mused, returning to the house they three all stayed in. She turned to the bags Violet and Amy carried in their arms. New dresses for them, something to wear for a ball, a ceremony, or anything similar. Entering their shared bedroom, Amy reached for her dress from inside the bag, before tossing it, still fresh in a plastic cover on the bed. 

“I hope it will fit for a long while.”, Luculia said, peering at the marvellous dress. It was a shame if it ever were to be disposed soon, especially before they can show it in its dear glory, in any ceremony to come.

“I hope so too.”, Violet added in agreement, while holding up her own dress, taken out slowly from the bag, before putting the bag on the bed. That was when Luculia noticed, what seemed to be a heap of fabric inside. It was certainly not part of Violet’s dress, being dyed a crimson red. Luculia was confused. Was it some extra accessory that Violet bought?

“What is this fabric?”, Luculia asked in confusion, walking closer to the bag, which Violet and Amy took notice immediately. “Wait-”, Amy tried to call out, but Luculia had already picked up the bag, and let the remaining contents slip out. Luculia widened her eyes, in surprise at what she was seeing.

There was another dress, also neatly wrapped in plastic. Even while folded, the design was clear, with patterns of roses being weaved into the fabric. Other things that also slipped out of the bag were a pair of black gloves, a pair of black stockings, both also having the image of roses sewn onto them, along with a hairpiece, again with the design of a rose.

Luculia could not believe what she was seeing. Why was there an extra dress? Did Violet buy it? But why? She turned back to Violet, who seemed to be shaking her head in disappointment. “I wish I was able to reveal this later. It can’t be helped.”, Violet muttered, with a tone of resignation.

It was true, Luculia realised. So they really were hiding something. Was this dress part of the plan? “Why did you buy an extra dress? For reserves?”, Luculia questioned. She was not mad, just curious. Violet and Amy looked at each other. Luculia had not realised it yet. She had made a major misunderstanding.

“Luculia, you have got it wrong. This dress is for neither of us.”, Amy corrected. That was a response that surprised Luculia. “Then... for whom is the dress for. A friend?”, Luculia further asked.

Violet took a deep breath. “F-for you. The dress is for you.”. An uncomfortable silence spread across the room for a short moment. It took a while for Luculia to comprehend what she had just heard. “F-for me?”, she stammered in confusion. She did not understand why they did this for her. They should have just bought dresses for themselves. It is not to say that Luculia did not need one... but she did not feel right if someone had to buy one on her behalf.

Violet and Amy turned to each other. “Remember when I asked you if you had a dress, and you said you did?”, Amy responded. “I knew that you might be lying. You did not have a dress.”

“But that did not mean you... needed to... I mean, it is expensive, isn’t it? And buying your own dresses should be expensive enough, right?”, Luculia asked. Sure, she liked the dress, and it benefitted her greatly... but she just could not understand why Violet and Amy would spend this much for her. It was their dresses that were of concern today, not Luculia’s.

“Because you are our friend. Is that enough a reason?”. Those simple words from Violet, and yet so powerful, sinking deep into Luculia. She felt her doubts fade. “So, you are really fine with buying this... for me?”, Luculia asked, her final question to quell her doubts.

“Of course.“, Amy responded. She then batted an eye to the red dress. “Why don’t you unveil it entirely?”. With that, Luculia took the dress, and undid the plastic covering, letting the dress unfold itself. More details unveiled itself to Luculia, now that she could see the dress in full. This dress had no sleeves and a short skirt section. At the sides were two giant ribbons, also red in colour. Luculia imagined herself as an idol, if she wore it.

“We got your sizes, thus we also ensured it fits perfectly.”, Amy added. Indeed, just with one look, Luculia knew that it would be neither too tight nor too loose on her. “T-thank you.”, Luculia said, while red, and turning back to Amy and Violet. Since they were willing to go this far, it did not sound right for Luculia to reject it further.

“And that is not our main gift.”, Violet mused, as she closed her eyes. “What?”, Luculia asked in confusion as she heard this, while putting the dress down on the bed. “What do you mean that this dress is not the main gift?”

“You’ll see.”, Amy responded with a small giggle, as Violet fumbled in her bag. As Luculia tried to look closer, she saw Violet pull out a velvet box. It was clearly a jewelry box, but it was too small for a bracelet, but too big for rings and earrings. “I bought this alongside your dress. We have planned this long before we planned for the dress.”, Violet explained, as she opened the box.

Violet then pulled out the jewelry inside, and when Luculia took a closer look, she froze in shock. It was a brooch, shaped like an oval, similar to her and Amy’s own. Unlike Violet’s green and Amy’s red, the gem for this brooch was a shiny yellow. Violet turned back to face the awe-struck Luculia. “This is our main gift.”

Luculia, stunned by a gift being presented before her again, walked closer to Violet, eyes fixated to the brooch. This... was for her too?

She vaguely remembered when Amy told her, how she got a red brooch alongside her dress from her father, during Violet’s last day with her at the ball. Amy said that she and Violet saw their similar brooches as a symbol of their unbreakable relationship, their mutual love. So, Luculia wondered, when they are giving her a similar brooch as well, here and now, did it have the same meaning and sentiment as then?

“This is...”, Luculia muttered. “The true sign of our friendship.”, Amy added, confirming Luculia’s thoughts. It was then, that she could not help but feel such overwhelming happiness. Slowly, Luculia, with two hands, picked up the brooch. She looked up to Violet, who just gave a nod.

Under a great compulsion, she held it close to her chest. To her, the brooch was even more valuable than the dress, not by the costs, but what it represented. Indeed, this was truly a main gift. Happy little tears fell down Luculia’s cheeks, and she made a grin.

“Violet, Amy... thank you so much...”, Luculia softly said, as she brought the two closer to her for an embrace. The embrace lasted for a while, before the three pulled away from one another. 

“I will wear this everyday, so that I remember this day.”, Luculia declared with resolution. Violet and Amy just made a nod of approval in response. Beyond a doubt, she really liked the brooch. Taking a deep breath, Luculia then extended her free hand to the two.

“One more dance for the night?”, Luculia asked, clearly wanting to celebrate all that has happened in the day. Violet and Amy looked to each other. “Why not?”, Violet said, as she took Luculia’s hand.

They performed a final waltz for the day, as night continued on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was the twist. It was less on Violet and Amy getting new dresses, but Luculia having her own and a brooch, and the sentiment behind it.


End file.
